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Take time to exercise

Take a little time to exercise

The pressure of not enough hours in the day is something that we all feel from time to time. Whether it is work, family or study commitments, finding the time to exercise can sometimes be tricky. This in itself can be annoying, frustrating and even cause stress – if you are someone who likes the routine of a regular gym session or a run/cycle, then disruption to that routine is something that can niggle and be on your mind.

One solution is to break your exercise into smaller chunks, which can be slotted into your day but which add up to the same amount of exercise. This is a novel way to find time to exercise, but it can act as a way of varying your routine and, as a result, can be very effective.

Here are some ideas:

Before work/college/school

Yoga is a brilliant way to get your mind and body working to its potential in the morning. As soon as you wake up, slip into your exercise gear and get on the mat to do a 20 minute yoga session. This can be as active or relaxing as you want and may well vary from day to day. For inspiration and ideas, take a look online, there are numerous very good sites. Two particular favourites of mine are Yoga with Adrienne and eFit30. You can also chat to the yoga instructors at Kelsey Kerridge for some ideas and inspiration.

During the day

Build short, sharp exercise sessions into your day. While lunchtime is the obvious space in the day when you might find time to exercise, you could also do a short session during a morning break or in the afternoon. This could involve anything from a brisk walk to a fast 20 minute run. You might go to a park and sprint between benches or trees; or you could find a set of stairs and do reps up and down the stairwell. The idea is to get the heart pumping faster, the muscles working hard and the oxygen flying around the body.

For an equally effective workout, you could find a space to do a body weight session – think sets of press-ups, triceps dips, lunges and squats; burpees and mountain climbers.

Getting to and from work

You can turn your commute into a time to exercise. If you get the train or the bus, get out a few stops early and complete the remainder of the journey on foot – again you can run or walk briskly. Just make sure you have a well-fitting backpack for your change of clothes and work stuff.

Keep moving

The other way of getting some exercise in, is to build movement into your day. This is obviously not an exercise session, but it is an important way of keeping muscles elastic and your internal systems from getting sluggish. Stand up and move around when you are speaking on the phone; try working from a standing position at your desk. Walk to a colleague’s office rather than sending an email, take screen breaks and do some stretching at regular intervals.

There is also the option of turning your time to exercise into a time to socialise too. Get others from your work place or class to join you in a lunchtime exercise session. You could each take it in turns to come up with a route for a run or a different activity to do. It might not be your regular gym session but it is still a way of keeping fit when time is in short supply.